Red Velvet and Swirled Eyes
by MateriaFlower1-1
Summary: He was dead. She was young. It never should have happened, they never should have even met. But they, did, and as always, it changed both of their worlds forever more. A series of Auron/Rikku oneshots of Love and Hate and Life and Death and everything in between; with romance and drama and even some humour when their story permits.
1. 010 Thunder

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X**_

_This is the first of my series of one shots for the illustrious Aurikku pairing! I got 75 prompts and split them into different pairings, which accounts for the random numbering. So... yeah! I hope you enjoy this first of my series!_

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_022\. Thunder_

Streaks of lightning tore through the inky sky, illuminating the ominous pitch black clouds for all to see. Rikku short up in the shallow, camp bed, a sheen of sweat forming all over her body and her green swirled eyes wide with terror; breath short and her heart beating in a frenzy. This panic-stricken irrational fear brought her back to years ago, when her fear had been as raw as a fresh stab wound.

_The thunder had been a shock to her, as silly as that sounds. She hadn't expected for the Thunder Plains to literally be a plain that was a stomping ground for thunder and lightning. She'd kind of expected it to be a one of those weird old names place sometimes have - like the Calm Lands being calm, or Zanarkand being the actual 'end of the world' - so when the first lightning bolt hit the squelchy mud, not only was she terrified of it, but she was also stunned that there actually was a permanent storm, just like the stories she'd always heard and assumed to be legends. _

_She was frozen in place, remembering the feel of electricity crawl over her skin and into her bones; the smell of burning skin pungent, until he called out to her and shook her from her reverie, humiliating her until she reluctantly went along. After all, wasn't that the only way for her to protect Yunie?_

_They didn't stop until the early hours of the morning the next day, when she pleaded and begged him to let them stay in the one, invaluable, heaven sent inn - ad an Al Behd in no less! He still wanted to make her go on. Meanie. She bet he fed off her fear - and she wouldn't have been surprised, it was tangible by now._

_Once she'd finally got rid of the mud - that had unfortunately clung to her body like it was seaweed dried to her - and the shivers of fear had subsided to a mere tremble, she left her room and went to try and find someone, anyone, to talk to. Yuna, or Tidus, or Lulu, maybe even Wakka if he was around - hell, she'd talk to Kimarhi if he were up for saying more than just one word at a time! But no, of course, he had to be the only one around. And just as she was turning around to make a hasty retreat back to her bed where she could just curl up, close her eyes, and wait for this all to blow over, he called her over._

_"Rikku."_

_A thief should _never_ be caught like_ that!

_Reluctantly she swirled on the ball of her foot and plopped herself onto the chair in what she knew was probably a very undignified way. But frankly, she couldn't bring herself to care - she was just focusing on getting the trembles to stop._

_"What?" Whoops, that had come out as a bit more of a growl than she'd intended. _

_"Are you ready to leave soon?" He asked, stoically of course. Wouldn't he just lighten up?! He didn't ask if she were okay, or if she'd gone into a complete melt down being stuck around the stupid, noisy, bright stuff. Nope, not with Auron! Straight down to business._

_With a slight roll of her eyes that she almost hoped he saw, "Of course! We'll be long gone from here soon anyway." _

_He just hummed in response, and she could feel her blood beginning to heat up. Maybe that was from the stupid thunder shouting 'notice that I'm here!' every three seconds, on second thoughts. Regardless, she bit her lips and tried not to say anything to Auron who continued to look at her with those unreadable brown eyes. Although, he did kind of look like he was... Irritated? Well, what's new there. And boy was it winding her up._

_"Do you enjoy me being scared?" She said very suddenly and very acidly. Oh boy, Lulu was starting to take over! Although, that wasn't a bad thing as such..._

_He looked surprised (well, he raised an eyebrow) but said nothing, and she didn't think he ever would've had she not turned away from him and begun to stand up._

_"No."_

_Oh the joys, Auron was now Kimarhi! Just not as furry and cuddly. _

_"So why did you want to make us stay out there in the lightning? It just makes me even more scared every second we stayed out there! I could barely walk by the time we reached the inn!" She humphed, her eyes subconsciously narrowing into slits and her fists clenching. How did he make her this annoyed again? Maybe it had something to do with that teeny tiny (read: _massive_) crush she had on him._

_She was ready to just leave again after she waited in silence and watched his face remain remarkably impassive for thousands upon thousands of seconds. _

_"Because staying in this place longer would be worse for you."_

_She took a deep breath and counted to ten. He'd told her that before they came in. And she knew that anyway! It's just that somehow, having a roof over her head made her feel more secure; as though the lightning was being thwarted by the best of Yunie's shell spells. _

_"It's best not to stop along the journey too much. It will only build up feelings that shouldn't exist in the first place." He said with his eyes averted; eyes that looked to be concealing something on the forefront of his mind._

_It was then, as she walked away at a loss, that she was sure of something: either Auron was gay, or that he was beginning to grow attached to one of them in more than a platonic way. She hoped it was her. And she still didn't feel any better about the thunder._

Now, when the lightning lit up their temporary tent in Besaid, she wasn't so scared of the obnoxious lightning, nor the overt, loud thunder, but of the fact that they brought all her current fears to the forefront of her mind.

But one was immediately quashed. She felt him stir next to her, a reminder that he was still here, with her.

"Rikku, are you okay?" He'd never forgotten that she hated thunder, although he too knew that the fears had changed over the years - some of which he hadn't been around for.

She nodded lamely, her palms beginning to sweat and her fingers beginning to tremble a bit - the fears may have shifted, but the symptoms didn't.

He sat up, and put one arm around her waist, the other hand took her smaller, nimbler hand in his larger, stronger one.

"I'll be fine Auron, don't worry."

"I don't worry, but you do, too much," he sighed, beginning the conversation they'd had a thousand times before.

She gritted her teeth and counted to ten, feeling the anger cool with time. "I only worry about important things."

"Hazel and Ash will be fine, you'll see, Cid's a trusty caretaker, if a bit eccentric. You were always well, were you not?"

Rikku sighed, they had this conversation numerous times before leaving their young son and daughter behind in Bevelle before coming to visit Besaid for the yearly celebration.

"I know you trust him, and of course I do too, I just-"

"-don't want to leave them behind." Auron beat her to it, repeating the one doubt she'd had the who time. "I know, you don't want them to get hurt. Don't you think I don't?" He raised his eye brow as another streak of lightning rushed across the sky, followed by a thunder clap and another hiccough like jerk from Rikku.

"I know."

"Besides, Yuna turned out well under his tutelage."

Rikku giggled, "Even if she did end up marrying Tidus; the eternally naïve idiot."

Auron laughed too, a rare sight even if it was just a gentle chuckle, agreeing with her. Even if Tidus was caring and kind and likeable, he could sometimes be so naïve it was unbelievable. That, and he and Rikku (although she would refute this) had a habit of charging headlong into things they really shouldn't

As their laughter faded away, so too did the storm and Rikku's fears.

"Okay, I believe you."

"I know."

Rikku scoffed, sitting more upright and turning to look him directly in the face. "I waited almost four years for you, of course I'll always come round to you in the end." She reminded him with a light flick to his nose and a slightly defeated tone.

Auron let out a sound of agreement "Yes, you did."

Rikku let out a shallow whin and raised her fist to pummel him, before he caught her fist in his hand. "You came straight back to me, if you remember correctly!" She said in a voice full of petulance.

"Of course I did, as I always will."

She smiled at him then, her green swirled eyes lighting up and her head cocking to the side, letting her hair fall down her shoulders. "Even in thunder?"

He chucked, "Even in thunder."

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_I hope you enjoyed the first of my one-shots, and I hope you stick around for more. Please leave a review if you have time, and follow if you want to be updated. Thanks!_


	2. 006 Trust

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X_**

_In this one shot, you can expect lots of romance, a friendship aspect, and just to get you all going - a nice bit of angst to brighten the day. Enjoy!_

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_006\. Trust_

When Lulu had called her naïve she pouted, and said that 'it has gotta be a tie between me and Yunie at least!' To which Lulu had pointed out that her response only reaffirmed her statement. Yuna was a fully fledged summoner on her way to Zanarkand at a fast pace. Too fast. But Rikku had denied it viciously, recruiting Auron to her cause when he passed by, but he ended up agreeing with Lulu anyway, despite all her puppy dog eyes and pouting. That should've been her first warning.

She trusted Auron blindly despite herself, throwing herself into his arms (figuratively of course) just a week after they'd met. Everyone noticed the closeness of Rikku to Auron, and they could all see how unresponsive he was to her. How much like a blank slate he was. Yuna had tried to talk to her about it once, but she'd just waved her off, saying that 'of course Auron likes me, why shouldn't he?' with a broad smile, winking eye, and a willingness to forget everything, even after Tidus' multiple, overt warnings and Lulu's metaphors that Rikku refused to read too deeply into. Even Wakka and Kimarhi worried, they sent her those looks sometimes that she allowed to just bounce off her. Besides, weren't they on a mission? Rikku just had to think of a way to save Yuna. That was her main focus, right? That was all she could afford to focus on now.

And when they'd been to Zanarkand and seen the monstrous state that Yunalesca had declined into and had finally found a way to save Yuna, Rikku relaxed. More than she probably should have, but that's neither here nor there. She wasn't out in the active party much, and neither was Wakka or Kimarhi, so they were allowed to stay behind on the Celsius and help out.

Sorting the different supplied they'd accumulated into piles one day, Wakka had come over to her, and stood in silence for a while, before plopping down next to her and helping her with her tedious work.

She already knew what this would be about, before he even opened his mouth.

"Rikku, you okay?" He asked with that thick, lilting accent that seemed to over emote each word.

She turned to him with dark swirled eyes that held a bright facade and smiled, nodding her head as her sunny hair bounced behind her head. Why shouldn't she be?

He looked at her wearily, eyeing her with overly emotional warm, dark eyes. He spoke hesitantly, unsure if he should broach the topic,"I just wanted to check, since ya know, Auron's-"

"Wakka, I'm fine." She assured him, cutting him off before he announced what she'd been denying herself. She'd been asked this by Yuna only the night before, and honestly, Rikku wasn't even sure how she felt herself yet. Of course, she was angry - she'd trusted him with everything and he'd never told her a thing, and she was bitter too, but apart from that she just felt numb. Like she couldn't even muster up any emotions to feel at all. Perhaps she was denying it was happening at all, it was going too fast. Just a few months ago nothing was wrong in the world at all - Home was still safe.

"I just wanted to check. I know how good friends you two are."

Rikku's hands froze momentarily. Were they friends? Were they anything? Probably not, not after that. "We're not really friends Wakka, it's like one of those weird uncle-niece relationships, you know?" She tilted her head sideways, not taking her eyes off the stock of shimmering turquoise potions. Yes, seeing him as an uncle seemed like something that they'd all be able to understand. "But thanks for asking." She gave him a toothy smile before gathering up the different piles she'd put into bags and leaving, not realising that he'd been standing next to the door the whole time.

Wakka's concern had raised something for Rikku - was she really that naïve? When Lulu had called her naïve, she didn't realise that she really was, and that Lulu's words could turn out to be this prophetic. She'd told him everything - from her grief about the loss of her mother and younger brother to various stories from her childhood. She was probably just an annoyance to him. Just a blip on the last part of his pseudo-life. Well, whatever would happen, would happen regardless of him or any other person in the world.

She'd decided that it would be best to distance herself from him, and she was somewhat saddened to see that he didn't even try to fight for their friendship and whatever it was she'd thought they'd had past that. Perhaps the whole of their friendship was made up. Anyway, she fared well compared to the general mood of everyone else - they all knew that they didn't stand much chance against Sin, and their lives were all at stake. Except Yuna and Tidus of course, but when weren't they optimistic?

All too soon it was over. He was sent in a shimmering of red and gold and purple pyreflies that shone too brightly in the sky, and he was long gone along with Sin, the aeons, Tidus, and life as she had known it. She still felt numb, but even that had slowly changed - it evolved into anger in the past few days, and was beginning to morph into something unsettling; something too new and different and changed for her to possibly like. She'd do anything to get him back. She'd treated him so coldly in the last days they'd had together when she really should've embraced him (figuratively, of course). She wanted him back, his presence back, his friendship - anything! She'd seen the looks that he'd given her on the last few days when she persuaded herself that they weren't there - he missed her, or he did as far as she could tell. And she'd been so cold. And now he was gone, forever. For the rest of her entire life and all the time after.

As Yunie delivered her speech to all those whom had gathered in Luca, Rikku only half listened, to her shame. She was too busy thinking about what she'd lost in him - a friend, a guardian, a companion, maybe even more - that she only snapped out of her reverie as Yuna delivered her last line.

"...or the dreams that have faded. Never forget them."

She knew that Yuna was thinking about Tidus, but it just resonated within her about him.

She really had been naïve, hadn't she? To fall so sharply in love with a man who would never love her back. And now he was gone forever, and she was left alone in a world that just wasn't fair. She vowed then, on that day in Luca Stadium, to never trust another like she'd trusted him, no matter what.

_I always felt like Rikku seemed a bit fake in X-2, so this is my explanation for her insincerity! Even though these one shots aren't really in any order as such... Perhaps this might chronologically be the second? Before the last in this series._

_Regardless, I hope that you enjoyed this one, and that you stick around for the next. It would be über nice of you to review or favourite or follow it whatever floats your boat, but it's cool if you've not got time or can't be bothered; I get it! :) thanks!_


	3. 039 Remember

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy**_

_**Thank you to CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for your review! **__I'm really glad you're liking them :) And to anyone who is interested in the Yuffentine pairing, then check out her oneshots - they're really good! (May or may not have procrastinated for a while there...)_

_Anyway, I hope you like this next oneshot. Enjoy!_

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_039\. Remember_

Besaid was such a strange place. It was peaceful; a paradise all of it's own. Yet it was just a bit too tranquil. It made you remember things you'd thought you'd long suppressed, forcing you to think about the things you didn't want to, with the gentle lapping of waves and the rustling of the brilliant green leaves.

Rikku was sitting on the beach, trying desperately to not think of anything and instead looked out at the never ending conveyer belt of waves. She tried to memorise how each one looked to stop the train of thought that she knew was coming.

Tidus had come back to Yuna. Why hadn't he come back to her? Was he really dead for real? After all she'd done, she was still left high and dry by the faith, by him, by everyone! It just wasn't fair.

She remembered the time when he was still alive, back before all of this. She remembered when they first met, after she'd limped very... Elegantly... Out of the river and face-planted onto the ground. Tidus had found her first, and after she'd wriggled out of the wetsuit (which sticks like glue at the best of times) and had finally gotten rid of those goggles, they'd all caught up with him. She had to say, the thought of Tidus with her cousin Yunie did weird her out a little bit at first, but whatever. These things just happened. She begged to be allowed to join Yuna as a guardian, and she barely even noticed him until he asked to look into her eyes. She was surprised at first, closing her eyes, until she finally peaked between her eyelashes and saw him for the first time. He was tall, about a head taller than her, and he look to be about in his thirties at least. One of his eyes was scared and shut, but the other was a warm brown that seemed to draw her in. His skin looked very slightly wrinkled, and tanned from a lot of time spent in the sun. His hair too was beginning to go grey at the roots, the dark brown becoming threaded with white. She couldn't see the rest of him for his red coat, but that only added to the mystery. This man - he was strange. And she wanted to get to know him better.

She remembered the time when they got to the peak of Mt. Gagazet. After all the time they'd spent try to get there, and to be rewarded with the cold they experienced was almost cruel! They'd set up camp for the night in an alcove near the top of the mountain after it'd become too dark, and the snow had begun to fall at such a rate that you could barely see your hand in front of you. Rikku had lit a fire as soon as she found a suitable place for it, using the magic that Lulu had taught her. She'd taken off the sodden overcoat that she'd been wearing, stripping off what she could afford not to wear, and sat as close to the fire as she dared, whilst the others put up tents. They'd banned her from putting up tents - apparently that one time, when she put up a tent inside out, was so impressively bad that they'd kept her far away from them ever since. She could hear Auron approaching; the heavy foot falls were a dead give away - Wakka was way more clumsy and Kimarhi was more catlike. The pros of being an expert thief!

"You're cold?" He asked in that strange way of his. He always asked a question more like it was a statement, but the hint of inflection at the end softened the statement to an offering.

Nevertheless, she shook her head and smiled, cocking her head to ask him if he was without words, to which he shook his head. Of course, this was Auron. He was always fine! The day he was cold, hell would be too.

"What will you do after we get to Zanarkand and this is all over?" Rikku asked in a sudden, spur of the moment question. She saw a bit of shock and sadness go through his eyes before it was masterfully covered with blankness again. He shrugged, not knowing what he was going to do she supposed.

"You?" Was his voice always so gruff? Probably, she just never really noticed.

What was she going to do...? "Let's see, I'll go back with Dad and try and rebuild Home. Then I'll probably be swept off by feet loads of guys since I'll be super duper famous by then but..." _none of them are you._

"But?" he asked, as if he actually wanted to hear what she wanted to do in her silly ramblings.

"But," _just say it_ she screwed up her eyes and took in a deep breath, "it won't be the same." _whimp_. "I'll miss you guys, that's all."

She watched as something went through his eyes, jealousy? No, it couldn't be! This was Auron - the man who was probably, definitely perhaps, old enough to be her dad! (Although she'd never asked since he was somewhat terrifying. Perhaps Tidus or Yunie would know?). He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something, but decided against it. Neither of them spoke again until the tents had been put up and she left for her tent soon after with a flimsy excuse in tow.

Looking back on it, she realised how stupid and naïve she'd been. He'd probably been about to tell her his true nature: that was - _dead_, and that she would never see him again. And she was probably right: it probably was jealousy back then. But who would know for certain? He was dead, and gone. And even though Home was rebuilt and men had attempted to sweep her off her feet and she did miss all her friends back in that time, even if they were all here right now, _he wasn't_. He was gone, forever, and that was just something she'd have to get over if she were to live out the rest if her years as she wanted to.

Standing up from the sand shores of Besaid, she dusted herself off, ridding the sand from the folds in her shorts. She looked out at the sea once more, taking a deep breath as she prepared to leave it all behind.

"Rikku."

No, he was dead! She'd just convinced herself of that! Damn it! But sure enough, as she turned around there he was: just as she remembered him, but slightly younger looking - the grey no longer threaded his hair, and his skin was smooth and both of his brown eyes were open. But he still had his red, velvet looking coat and as she approached him, she smelt that the smell - of whiskey and sand - was still there. And he was real, real enough for her to slap at least.

Yet there he was, just as she remembered.

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_I just couldn't leave you with angst... I feel like this pairing is angsty enough without me adding anymore. So, please review if you liked it, and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	4. 016 Mind

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X_**

**_Thanks again to CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for your review! _**_I'm really glad you liked the last one too :) I hope you enjoy the rest as well!_

_This is a fairly long one shot, but I thought it dealt with a kinda interesting idea. So please, enjoy!_

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_016\. Mind_

I thought he could read minds or something when we first met. I was so glad that Yunie and the scary but beautiful Lady Lulu would take me on, especially after all I'd done, and since Yunie and I had only really met once, years and years ago. The only condition was not revealing my Al Behd heritage to Wakka and believe me, I was more than okay with that! I thought we would just be off after that, on our way to Guadosalam and beyond and wherever I could get Yunie to except for Zanarkand. But nope, he had to step in, all authoritarian like. He asked to see my face, which I thought was a bit weird but I said whatever, and then he demanded I open my eyes. I thought he must've been a mind reader, and he was going to laugh at my silly plans and childish fears, but he didn't. I was just greeted with one cold, blank, brown eye and another sealed shut by a scar, hidden under vaguely brown translucent shades. I thought he looked distant. And sexy. I really hoped he wasn't a mind reader after I thought that, and his eyes gained a thin layer of mirth and his lips pulled into a tight smirk.

* * *

I may have been convinced that he wasn't a mind reader for a while, but it wasn't long before the thought struck again. He just had this wise all knowing aura that all mind readers must have - to be successful at least. No one's gonna believe you if you're a chatter box like me, they'll just think you're getting lucky with your guesses. We were in the Thunder Plains - not my favourite place - and they all just passed up an inn! A shelter from the lightning! I couldn't believe it - they were all so cruel. Him especially. I threw them all so many curses in my mind - well not Yunie, she was just going along with the meanies. But I was so annoyed! And then I almost started crying, and the lightning around me made me shake in fear. I could barely think straight, and my legs started to feel weak as my pulse sped up and I gave one final plead. He turned around and looked at me in this way I couldn't quite identify. We stopped there that evening. I was convinced he was a mind reader.

* * *

We grew a lot closer in the interlude between the next incident - I'd started calling them incidents, what else should they be called? He was my friend, companion, and a lot more emotionally, even if I was less to him. We fell through the ice in Macalania with such force that for a second, I swear I saw my mama on the other side. I was certain we were dead. I even started going through my list of regrets - although as soon as we landed safely on the ground, I swore that I could tick a few off the list easily, and soon.

Yuna was fast asleep, and she looked so peaceful that we didn't wanna wake her up. So we left her, and we finally had some real time to kill. I'd been thinking for a while that really, Lulu was the person I wanted to be like the most. She was so elegant and graceful with an amazing figure, but deadly and fierce at the same time. She was basically a blend of everything a woman could ever want to be. I so wished I was like that - more sexy than cute and more graceful than obnoxious and annoying.

I told her as much, and she laughed. I didn't quite get it, and it was on my mind for the rest of that morning. Clearly Auron had heard, because he found me alone, a bit later on, when we were away from the others.

"So you want to be like Lulu?" He asked me, sitting down next to me on a piece of abandoned building or machina - could've been either easily.

"Yeah, who wouldn't? I mean, she's so beautiful and kind and powerful and has the best figure of anyone ever." I pointed out, shuffling as I leaned back against the makeshift chair I'd found, pulling my legs tighter to my chest.

He laughed at me, with that low, gruff drawl, "That might be true, but I wouldn't want you to be Lulu. She's not quite the same."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged - I was so sure he was winding me up.

"She may be as beautiful as you said, but she's not as bright. She's not as fun as you. And she's not as fun to wind up."

"H-Hey!" I stuttered. "I was thinking exactly that just then, how did you know that!?" I demanded, jumping off my chair and onto his back as he walked away, letting me latch onto him.

He just swatted me away, chuckling lowly. "Perhaps I'm a mind reader then."

* * *

Home was gone. Before I knew it, it was a pile of asphalt and dust and broken dreams and memories. It felt kinda unnatural, but normal at the same time. 'Home' had been somewhere that we'd never really found - we build in one place, it gets destroyed. We build in another place, it gets destroyed. Not a mark left behind, just some scorched sand and a pile of crumbling debris, waiting to be blown away. I bet I couldn't even mark the spot where Mama died now. I just wanted to be alone, away from Wakka and all his stupid, well meaning but irritating, analogies. There weren't many nooks and crannies left on this ship that I didn't know, and fewer yet that I hadn't explored - although Tidus came a close second - and it only felt right that now I should make use of my knowledge. I settled for a small cupboard type room, furnished with a small crate of shiny Mana Spheres, down a narrow corridor leading from a larger room, and a larger corridor back to the main hull of the ship. And I sat there, alone. I don't know how long I was there for, or what I was even really thinking about, except that there I was alone, and there I was safe.

Naturally, Auron found me. I couldn't tell what time it was - there was no real light, only a fluttering, dim lamp, and I wasn't even hungry. I just felt numb.

"How do you do that?" I asked when he'd entered and sat down across from me, balancing his sword against the wall so it shone in the dim lamp's light.

"Do what?"

"Oh, you know, find me, like, _all_ the time."

"I... Was not aware of that." He raised his shades up the softer than I'd once thought skin of the bridge of his nose. He didn't have a particularly small or big nose now I thought about it... Medium, I'd say. Average.

"Oh come on, you can practically read my mind." I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes. I wasn't up to being chirpy, not now. Not today, when my only safe haven, my Home, was gone.

I could imagine the look on his eye, inquisitive and degrading. "I can?"

The way he said his questions - more like a statement than an inquiry - never failed to raise a smile to my lips. "Go on, say what I'm thinking right now." I dared, perking up.

In my mind, I didn't know what to think, Kimarhi in a bikini? Auron and I? Yuna with a pair of guns? Wakka with an Al Bhed baby? Me, more like Lulu and older, with Auron? No matter what I thought, he still kept seeping into my mind. But I stuck fierce - and the only thing I let myself see was the fleeting image of Besaid I'd glimpsed when I was five, and visiting Yunie for the first and only time. It was a hot day, and the sand burned beneath my feet. But I was a child of the desert, and I ran around anyway. But slowly in my mind, the images of Yuna and Brother faded, and I was left with something slightly different.

"You're thinking of the future. Of me. And of others." He declared ambiguously.

I hadn't even noticed when he slipped into the image and when it morphed into a memory that wasn't my own. But he was right. Not that he needed to know, of course.

"Nah, it was an image of Kimarhi. In a hot pink bikini."

I watched as his eyebrows raise and his eyes widened beneath the translucent shades.

"O-Of course. Maybe next time."

* * *

"Yuna and Tidus, they look fairly close." He stated, amidst the ethereal azure lights of Macalania forest.

It was kinda cold, but deadly still, and all the leaves on the white trees seemed to be shinning; despite the fact that it was currently night, the moon was shinning fiercely in the sky, like I'd never seen before. I felt like I was trapped almost, in a bubble of never ending peace, and never ending time. It lulled me into thinking that maybe it would be best to stay here - away from all the trouble and away from the threat of sin. But the bright lights of Bevelle that I saw when I climbed the shimmering, silver leaved trees put that idea out of my mind - we had a goal to achieve, and I had to think of as many ways to stop it as possible.

"Huh? Oh yeah, hadn't noticed yet gramps?" I smirked down at him, from where I was sitting in a low branch of the thin, white trees.

"Gramps?" He said the word slowly, testing how it tasted on his tongue. "I'm hardly that old." He stated, standing from his position on the ground, leaning up against another tree trunk.

I sniggered at him, and watched him come closer to me, reclining on my tree branch. Still, he wasn't _that_ old, I guessed. He certainly wasn't too old for me.

"I'm not too old for you." He pointed out, and I would've sworn at that moment that he looked inside my mind, and heard what I said.

I jolted on my branch and leapt down, facing him with widened eyes. "A-Are you actually a mind reader?" I asked hesitantly, curling into myself, shoulders drooping downwards.

He chuckled at me, and he put a hand on my shoulder, stilling my nervousness. I relaxed, and looked back up at him. I really thought we were going to kiss, but then Lulu and Wakka came back, having looked around sufficiently. As always, Wakka looked clueless, but I knew that Lulu picked something up from our closeness. I just hoped she wasn't right.

* * *

I was right - Lulu did know something, go figure. She just warned me, subtly giving me an aside, "Sir Auron's an older, wiser man than any, and he's broken. Don't give in to him - he might use you for something you're not willing to do."

That was all she needed to say, and I understood her concern, but I was too far gone by that point - I wanted him, and that was all. But I did try to block my mind when I was around him - more than usual anyway. I avoided looking into his eyes, and I stayed focused on my goal: save Yunie. I spent every spare minute I had thinking about it, and I spent every spare minute Tidus had thinking about it with him. I felt the pressure building inside me, and I could barely stand it anymore.

No matter how I avoided him though, I was left alone with him one night in the Calm Lands - on the far side, near to the cold, silvery, misty mountains of Kimarhi's home. He looked at me over the night's fire I'd made, away from the Al Bhed Inn - Rin was suffocating me a bit too much for my liking.

"You are tired. You... Fear for Yuna." He declared, in that growling, gruff, monotone of a voice he had.

I rolled my eyes and looked at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile. "You guessed it." I replied with every inch of my tried soul poured into my voice. "I don't know how you do that." I commented lowly, resting my elbows on my thighs and my head in my hands.

He chuckled slightly, but even his rarely heard laughs were restricted by now. "Maybe I'll tell you one day."

We fell into silence again, I couldn't even form a sentence to say what I wanted, and he was too stoic to say much.

"What did Lulu tell you? That night." He queried, looking at me through grey-brown, scrutinising eyes. I suddenly felt very judged, and slightly trapped.

"Oh, you know..." I trailed off; I didn't want to say the words directly. "Just to be careful and all that. That you're old and broken, nothing I don't know." I reeled off nonchalantly.

I raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't say anything, as always. What I would've given to read his mind then, and hear what he was thinking.

* * *

I surrendered myself to him completely, not long after, despite her warnings. I should've listened.

I was just so tired. Tired and weak. It felt awful, and I felt worse than death. I couldn't walk to save Yunie. I couldn't run to stop her. I couldn't fight to protect her. I couldn't think to think of how to save her. I was too tired for my own good, and I could barely go on. But they didn't know that - I wouldn't have been doing my job properly if they did, now would I? I had to protect Yunie, and that meant staying strong with her and for her, until the very end! Naturally though, he knew. We didn't talk about it, but I could see it in his eyes, we he saw me collapse at night, or when he saw my fingers shake when I tried to complete all the weapon and armour customisation I had to do. I knew he was a mind reader, right from the get go, and here, at the mouth of the mystical, pyrefly-lit Zanarkand, he looked like he shouldn't be any where else - he belonged amid the magical, bright pyreflies. And I was just a, what was it again, a 'sand-blasted grease monkey'? Something like that.

"You are worried." He noted astutely, in too little words for my liking, on the shimmering slopes of Zanarkand. It was such a beautiful place for such a destructive, barbaric task.

"Aren't we all?" I responded, leaning back on the ground, arms out behind me and knees bent in front of me. I could only the watch the sky, and the colourful lights of the souls of the dead twist in pretty ribbons. It was so morbid, but so entrancing.

"I... Yes. But you more than us all." He commented, looking into my face. He was right, none of the others seemed to drag their feet as much as me, and I still thought 'what if' at every turn, despite what Tidus had told me. I felt like a let down.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Don't worry for her. She doesn't need your worry - she'll be fine." He stated, calmly in his gruff monotone.

"How can you say that? She's gonna die! And I won't have found a way to stop her!" I cried, tears brimming at the edges of my swirled eyes. I felt hurt, betrayed, and I knew that we were almost beyond the point of no return.

"You shouldn't worry. I can tell you are worried, and far too much at that." He simply responded, offering nothing more.

"How do you do that?!" I let out a strangled sound of annoyance and say up sharply.

He said nothing, but looked at my face. "Do you know how I can 'read your mind'?

I looked at him with a cocked head, he was always so calm, even in the face of... Sin. "No? Some kind of magic you learnt in those temples back in the day?" I guessed, randomly.

"It's because your mind is always on your face, and in your eyes."

I looked at him with a half smile. I didn't want the magic to be dispelled, not that easily anyway.

* * *

I was furious, at first. I still am when I think about it. He never told anyone of us that really, he was dead. And he would be gone when this was all over. He never even bothered to mention it, or slip into into conversation. "Hey Rikku, it's nice weather today isn't it? Oh by the way, I'm dead." Or, "Morning Rikku. I'm dead." Nothing, nothing at all.

I refused to talk to him at all, and I never let him see my face, not without a facade of a mask on first.

But even I couldn't hold out for that long. He came into my room aboard the airship under the cover of night - my pops would skin him alive, Yunie's guardian of not, if he caught him sneaking into my room - and he spoke to me, softly and gently, but so sincerely that I believed him. I couldn't help but believe him, despite myself. He told me of his pain, his angst and his woe. I've never heard anyone speak that candidly of anything that personal before - Lulu and Yunie are sisters in their own right, and they keep everything between themselves. I let him back into my heart, to my pleasure and displeasure, and I let him back into my soul. But I hated myself for it. He would go soon, and I was to be left behind - on my own. I needed him. I still need him.

And soon enough, there was one night left, before it was time to take on Sin. One night left with him, for all I knew, until I'd never see him again. All I did that night was futile - all the begging, sobbing and pleading. He was largely impassive, but I could see in his eyes how he was reading my face, and reading my mind.

"Rikku, I know you're scared, but listen to me," in snapped my head up, for all I'd cried and begged on that evening I'd never once thought that I was scared, "I will always be with you in memory at least. Please, never forget that. Never forget my memory. I want you to keep it in the mind I can read so easily."

I didn't know what to say - I wanted to laugh at his attempt of a joke, and cry because he was making me feel even worse about his imminent death. I wanted to wail and cry out that whomever would listen that it wasn't fair - but it didn't matter, this was Spira, and Spira was never a fair world.

"Hey Auron, would you read my mind once more for me?" I asked in a watery, hoarse voice. He looked at me with tired, worried eyes and nodded as I pushed the image that'd been invading my mind to the front, and tried to emulate the emotions on my face.

I said nothing, but I knew what he felt - the fear, and horror, and all of the regret.

When he was sent the next evening inside Sin, I pushed that same picture to the front of my mind again. I wanted the last thing he saw to be the image from my mind.

* * *

_Holy Jesus, I really do have something with angst, don't I? Well... I'm going to leave what that last image was up to you, what do you think it was? It'd be interesting if you let me know._

_Please, review if you liked it and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	5. 026 Confide

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X_**

_This one's quite short, just as a forewarning. That makes it sound like it's harmful because it's short... it's a one inch punch of a oneshot? I've no idea anymore... Enjoy! _

* * *

_026\. Confide_

"So, Auron, how's it going?" I asked the air, well not the air - there was actually something there at least. Auron. Made from the colourful, beautiful, morbid pyreflies. He floated, so unlike in life, on a backdrop of vibrant, sherbert-magenta swirled sky, and a field of red and purple and pink and orange flowers far off from this dingy outcrop of harsh dirt and rock, and the waterfall that split the two, huge beds, roared like a hungry behemoth in the distance. I've always wondered where the water goes to - it trails down, down, down, and then fades into the cushioned bed of cloud laying far off in the distance.

"Yeah - I know. You're dead. You can't hear me. I don't know why I do this really, I mean, it's not like you can hear me, and it just hurts me more than anything. But Hazel likes coming to visit her Pops, so it's all worth it in the end I guess." My three year old daughter, the handful she was, was always placated by seeing Auron's hollow self. Her hazel swirled eyes widen in awe, and her brown eyebrows raise as her mouth drop. Every time. Without fail. She's with Yunie and Tiuds and Alex - I swear, those two are almost twins, in spirit at least.

"Hazel really, really misses you... Not that she ever knew you in the first place, but she does want to know you so badly. And, y'know, there are only so many stories that I can teller her about you that don't make you sound awful. Because it's not like you ever told me anything about yourself." I paused and thought to myself. I'd often thought about this, but I'd never said it aloud.

"Why didn't you ever tell me anything about yourself?" I asked, even if I knew it was purely rhetorical. "It really kinda hurt me, right here." I tapped over my heart and winced, shutting my eyes. It'd plagued me since the day he was sent - how little I really knew about him, and how much I thought I knew.

"I went to Bevelle with Yunie and Hazel once and tried to find you on any records. The nuns tried to bless me, you know?" I giggled, looking up to the endless peachy sky as I reminisced. "Said I was 'not too far from salvation' after one look at my eyes and Hazel. Of course, Yunie stepped in..." I trailed off. I'd thought, naively, that such persecution of the Al Bhed would stop after Sin's death, but it took a lot longer.

"Where was i? Oh, yeah. I couldn't find any records about you at all. They said you basically didn't exist. I was so glad that Yunie was entertaining Hazel, because I could barely keep it all together myself, never mind trying to explain why I was so sad to a one and a half year old."

I looked him up and down and got up from my place on the floor, dusting the dry, chalky earth from my clothes.

"I've no idea why I confide all this in you. It's not like you got any answered for me." I looked for his blank, unblinking face and sighed. "I'll go. Later." I turned my back and left, trying not to think about him anymore; I couldn't be sad in front of Hazel!

But little did I know that that was the last time I'd have to go to the Far Plains to see him. And that the next time I'd see him, he'd be a great deal more fleshy and responsive.

* * *

_I did say it was short! Please, review if you'd like, and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	6. 028 Inside

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy series_**

**_I'd like to thank CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for your review, once again I'm glad that you liked it and found it sweet :3_**

_Whelp, this is it guys! Just two more and we're done. Yes, yes, I know - it's a sad time for us all. I hope you've liked them though! Enjoy! _

* * *

_028\. Inside_

I had many Homes over my lifetime. I don't mean home as in a place that you live, but Home, as in the Al Bhed's home. By the time I met Tidus and Yunie, I was living in my fourth. But of course - that one went up in flames like all the rest had. Stupid Yevon, always destroying our homes.

I felt really attached the the fourth Home though. I liked where it was in the desert, inside a large crater of sand, protected from the world. Not that it stayed protected, of course. Yevon found us again and before I knew it, I was in the huge hallways I'd grown to love, surrounded by the dead. Even Keyakku, my other cousin, was on the way out - all glassy eyes and dry, blood cracked lips. I should've been familiar with the feeling of smoke stuck in my throat and the smell of fire and death, but I'm never ready for it. Not even now.

We have a new Home now, in a less harsh place than the first three homes, and a less sheltered place that the fourth. But we haven't been disturbed; not one person from the fading Yevon monopoly has come to persecute us. I can finally feel safe inside my home. Inside the huge, towering sheets of metal that are tacked together to make the glaringoutside, and the vast maze of the inside.

I asked Auron, once, if he had a home. He didn't respond.

I don't know what I expected - he wasn't exactly a _friend _at that point. So I waited, until after we fought Yunalesca, the twisted monster of my nightmares she'd been.

"My home?" He asked back, adjusting the sheer glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Gee, you think?" I jibed, sticking out my tongue ever so slightly.

He looked at me disapprovingly and nodded, looking upwards in memory.

"I was born in Bevelle, to a mother who left me immediately and a father who didn't bother to care," he stated concisely. I was shocked - I had no idea. He'd never hinted at a past life of sorrow, not before ten years ago anyway, so I never assumed.

"So that's why you have no surname?" I asked; even if surnames were uncommonly used in Spira, it was noticeable when someone didn't have one.

"Yes." He responded flatly. "I was given to a monastery," he continued, referring to the largest church in Bevelle, and the only one that took in children, "and raised there. But I was not liked there by the nuns and monks; the had some... Vendetta against me." He sighed, and pursed his mouth slightly. "But that would be my home, if I had one."

I didn't know what to say - I had an idea how it would be to not have a home, but I didn't know how it would feel to not have anywhere to call home - past or present - and I idea how it would feel to not feel safe inside anywhere.

* * *

_It's only short buuuut... I didn't want to expand it and then feel like it was going on for too long. So, please leave a review if you'd like, and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	7. 050 Flower

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X**_

_Thank you to __**CupofTeaforAliceandHatter!**__ I'm glad you found it interesting :) I always felt like Auron needed more hugs when he was younger._

_Sorry this chapter is so late - life and A Levels happened. But you get a double dose today, so there's that!_

* * *

_050\. Flowers _

Her eyes reflected in the Moonflow were perhaps the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Not mysterious like Lulu's intense crimson eyes, or quite as rare and pleasing as Yuna's refreshing blue and calming green eyes, but they were different, rare, outside of Home, and rare to see even then without goggles covering them. And hypnotising, with the swirled pupil. But the brilliant green hue - close to emerald, but yellow enough to be near lime - reflected in the pink waters of the Moonflow in the evening, they were beautiful then. In life, I'd never had much of a chance to see any woman's eyes and admire them - I had no mother in my memory, and the nurses at the monastery were never in favour with me. The only woman who'd ever been almost romantically involved with me, was the girl who I rejected. I never wanted to marry her, just because her father said I should in order for me to gain a higher up job. Her eyes weren't nearly as beautiful - they were like two lumps of emotionless, thick, black coal. I know that they'd never look so beautiful in the light of the Moonflow, not as beautiful as Rikku's anyway.

I was surprised to see her, a girl like her anyway, on the day we met. I was expecting from the suit to appear a different type of person all together - a man, firstly, and an older person whatever the gender. Her age was always conflicting for me. In reality, I was ten years younger, but she was still too young anyway. There could be nothing there, nothing but admiration from afar. When I first looked into her eyes, I expected something else - perhaps blue eyes, or maybe even brown, but not the piercing green and swirled pupils. Even if it did take a while to coax her eyes open, it wasn't what I expected. And I must admit that even then, I was pleasantly surprised by them. They were attractive, curving upwards at the ends to an almond shape, with smooth, unblemished, tanned skin surrounding them.  
Yuna asked to stay in the inn that day, pleading a weary body, and as unanimously nominated 'party organiser' as such, I agreed. I knew that we had to push forwards before Tidus knew what was going on, and before Yuna could change her mind, but I was prepared to give them this one.  
She was sitting by the river bank that evening. I left the small inn to wander in the temperate, slightly humid and sticky air; taking in the sight of the late evening, watching as the sun began to slope down behind the horizon and sleep for just a few hours. She was kneeling by the bank, her hands in the water, looking at the large, magenta hibiscuses, and playing carefully with the petals. Her face had a pink glow to it, and her lips were plump and smiling. I left whilst I was still at a distance - it would be for the best.  
After she knew my secret - when they all knew my secret - we returned to the moonflow. There wasn't much that needed to be done there, but Yuna wanted to visit with Tidus, Lulu and Wakka just wanted them to be happy, so Rikku and I tagged along with Kimarhi. He was the first to leave, being as stoic as he was, no doubt shadowing Yuna and Tidus after they left. Lulu and Wakka went off somewhere to sit down, or something of the like, leaving the two of us to it - not that it mattered at this point. She pulled me, playfully, by the arm down the crisply muddy banks of the sloshing river, the pyrfles dancing gracefully in the air, giving the atmosphere that much more mystery and calm and beauty. She sat on the crisp, dry mud and parted the ground next to her for me to sit on. I was either a fool by this stage, treading the line too misled, or I was working too hard.  
Unlike before, I could see all of her face this time, she was tinged with a pink glow, just like before, but I got to watch it up close. I got to see how the whites of her eyes faded into the outlying pink, and then blended into her vibrant , emerald irises. I got to see the lips plumped and juicy up, closer reflected in the ethereal light. I got to see how her hair was no longer a sandy blonde colour, but rather a gingery pink shade; hide warm and soft it looked and felt too, and the flower by her hands, the pink hibiscus.

* * *

_Hibiscus = rare and delicate beauty in Plant Symbolism. Not really relevant, I guess, but it what other flower can you use in this scenario?_

_I hope you liked it! Please, review if you'd like and follow for more. Thanks!_


	8. 050 Eyes

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X**_

_Well, this is it! This is the final chapter for now; but I shall return! In about 3-9 months, that is. For now however, I hope you've liked everything; thanks to everyone who has reviewed - it makes me day so great! And I'll see you all on the otherside. Enjoy!_

* * *

_050\. Eyes  
_

_Unseeing_

Really, when I look back on it, I'm the idiot. I called him an idiot over and over back then. I called him an ass, and many other worse things. I called him every bad word I knew in Al Bhed too - for good measure. But of course, he was gone by that time; long gone. Not even a pyrefly from his long dead body remained floating around, lost in the pyrefly-less sky. It was lonely, and sad, and all too bright.

Why am I an idiot, I hear you all clamour to ask? Well, settle down and I'll tell you. I never saw his eyes... One was always covered, hidden from view. The other was blank and icy, looking off to somewhere none of us could see. Not even Yunie, who could see everything that I couldn't. I, being the idiot I am, thought that when he looked at me he softened slightly, like butter held out in the desert. Of course not - silly me. His eyes never changed, not for anyone. Not even for Tidus, the boy he'd practically brought up.

I wonder if there was another woman in his life. Perhaps there was before - I don't know, maybe he did. I knew so little about him after all. Turns out I knew nothing! I wonder if he did... have another woman, that is. I wonder if she had green eyes like mine. They probably weren't swirled if they were - no one wants eyes like the Al Bhed, unless you're Al Bhed. Even then they're not really that desired. Why couldn't the one physical trait we all have, be something better - like bright red hair, or height, or gracefulness? Nah, that sounds closer to Yunie anyway. Anyway, I wonder if this woman did have green eyes... She'd probably have blue eyes. I think I'll peg him as a blue eyes, blonde hair woman, since I can't... Since I couldn't be enough for him. I was never enough for him, not from the very beginning.

In a way, I kinda hope that he loved another woman, had a whole life with her. That'd make this pain easier - he would've just been taken, and I wouldn't need to feel so stupid. I can deal with that. I can deal with being stupid - I'm used to it anyway. I hope that she was beautiful, but not prettier than me. Than I wouldn't feel so insignificant and petty and young and ugly and annoying. Because that would sure as hell help about now!

I should've known that he'd never have loved me like I loved him. It was all my own fault. I was an idiot, and I set this all up for myself - I should've known better. It's always 'should've known better' with me. He never looked at me with anything other than either mild interest or disappointment. I should've seen it in his eyes all along... But he just used me. My bad. I should shout apologies, like Yunie whistles for Tidus. And don't tell me to try that - I've already tried. Every night, for the past six months, I've tried my own method. My shouting voice is much better now, and I'm much more comfortable around swear words and all the other various curses. Doesn't make it any better.

He'd never love me, and I could see it in his eyes all along. Never did his eyes thaw to me, nor did he say a kind word to me. He never told me the truth, by the way, because he never looked at me with both eyes open - he must've been lying. And he must've never felt anything for me, because he could never look at me with both eyes.

* * *

_I hope you liked it! I thought I'd leave you all with some nice angst :p  
_

_Please review if you liked this or any other chapter, and follow for any future updates. Thanks!_


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